There are a wide range of pet toys available today with many distinct functional features. Pet toys can be made from many different types of materials along with a nearly limitless number of shapes and colors. Toys are now designed for different types and sizes of animals as well as to target desired levels of interaction and activity.
One general category of pet toys is those made of a flexible or elastomeric material, such as rubber. These toys, if made from quality materials, can withstand the biting action of an animal, and can keep an animal occupied for extended periods of time. It is known to place treats in these types of toys to increase the interaction of the animal with the toy. A sound emitting device, often referred to as a “squeaker”, is also known to be placed inside the toy to further stimulate the animal.
Another general category of pet toys is “plush” toys. These types of toys are made from different types of cloth or fabric, and may also include material woven into strands, such as nylon rope. The plush toy is typically stuffed with a fibrous material, such as polyester stuffing, to provide the toy with an increased thickness or bulk that enables the animal to chew on the toy. Plush toys may also include squeakers to further stimulate the animal.
Yet another general category of pet toy is one that is especially adapted for dispensing treats when an animal interacts with the pet toy. This category typically has a receptacle to hold treats and one or more openings that enable the treats to be dispensed by movement of the toy.
One example of a treat dispensing pet toy includes the invention disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 8,904,967. The treat dispenser dispenses treats by moving the dispenser in a way to gravity release treats from the interior hollow chamber of the toy. The dispenser includes a central spherical body, and a plurality of peripherally spaced spheres or balls connected to the body by respective branches. Each of the balls has a treat dispensing opening. The body has an opening for charging or loading treats. As an animal plays with the device, treats are dispensed through the openings. The openings are located at different positions on each of the balls so that treats are likely to be dispensed when the device is placed at various orientations.
Another example of a treat dispensing toy is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,581. A ball-like toy includes a spherical shell and a cylindrical valve, the spherical shell being formed of two symmetrical half shells. The half shells have ribs and partition boards, the cylindrical valve being mounted in a hole on the spherical shell and retained between the ribs and partition boards of the half shells. When the toy is rotated within a limited angle, dog food is discharged out of the spherical shell through the cylindrical valve when the spherical shell is rolled on the ground.
Yet another example of a treat dispensing toy is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 7,600,488. This reference provides a pet with a body having a first treat-retaining cavity and a first opening that extends between the first treat-retaining cavity and an outer surface of the body. A metering device in the first opening dispenses treats from the first treat-retaining cavity through the first opening at a metered rate. The first treat-retaining cavity is refillable through the metering device.
Despite the number of different treat dispensing pet toys, there is still a need to provide a pet toy that can better stimulate an animal to achieve extended play and interaction with the toy. There is also a need to provide a pet toy that is robust enough to withstand contact by the animal and owner, but is relatively simple in construction and therefore can be produced at a reasonable cost. There is also a need to provide a pet toy dispenser that may dispense treats at different rates and the rate of dispense is not necessarily predictable based on movement of the toy at similar speeds or rotations.
The invention described below provides solutions to many limitations in the prior art. The pet toy device has a construction that is relatively simple in structure yet allows for dispensing treats in unpredictable ways to better stimulate an animal. The rate of treat dispensing as described can be defined by the differential movement or rotation between complementary elements of the toy.